contrast and comparison

contrast and comparison What Is Comparison / Contrast? The act of comparison and contrast in writing is as simple as it sounds: you compare two similar ideas or pieces and discuss the differences between them. TheComparisonparagraph compares two subjects and discusses how they are alike and lists a few examples. In thecontrast paragraph, two subjects are discussed as how they are different, again, listing a few examples

Two Basic Methods for Organizing Comparison / Contrast Paragraphs The BLOCK PARAGRAPH only discusses one topic and then finishes the paragraph with the other subject that is to be compared or contrasted with the first. Then the conclusion puts what your comparing or contrasting together. If you let A and B stand for the two things (subjects) being compared, then you can use the block method in which you tell all about A, then tell all about B. Thus you discuss A in a block and B in a block.

sample Students who have Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith are immediately aware of the difference in the lecturing manner of each teacher. Mr. Jones has a pleasant voice, which helps hold the interest of the students. He pronounces clearly in a rhythmic pattern emphasizing key words. His moderate tone and inflected words make his lectures interesting. Mr. Jones also adds humour to his subject, and he welcomes questions from students who dont understand the material. He takes his time and explains slowly. He tries to make surethat his students understand a concept before he moves on to something new, and he is very enthusiastic about his subject. Mr. Smith, on the other hand, has a different tone, pronunciation, expression and attitude from Mr. Jones. He has a booming voice, which commands rather than teaches, and sometimes it is hard to understand because he runs his words together. His lectures are not as interesting as those of Mr. Jones, either, because Mr. Smith speaks in a boring monotone. He also hates to be interrupted; feeling that he must cover everything. Mr. Smith teaches every class in a serious, determined mood. Thus, as the above points illustrate, the lectures of Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith are quite different.

In the POINT BY POINT, writing back and forth between the two subjects. First, talking about topic A. then talk about topic B., then right back to topic A. and so on. If you let A and B stand for the two things (subjects) being compared, then you compare them point by point. Every time you say something about A, you also say something about B right in the same sentence or in the sentence immediately following.

sampleStudents who have Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones are immediately aware of the difference in the lecturing manner of each teacher. Mr. Jones has a pleasant voice, which helps hold the interest of the students. Mr. Smith, however, has a booming voice, which commands rather than teaches. Mr. Jones pronounces clearly in a rhythmic pattern emphasizing key words. On the other hand, Mr. Smith mumbles, running his words together. The moderate tone and inflected words of Mr. Jones make his lectures more interesting than those of Mr. Smith, who speaks in a boring monotone. Mr. Jones also adds humour to the subject, whereas Mr. Smith is always serious about each lesson. Mr. Jones welcomes questions from students who dont understand the material, as compared to Mr. Smith who hates to be interrupted. Mr. Jones takes his time and explains slowly, whereas Mr. Smith rushes through each lesson. Mr. Jones is very enthusiastic about his subject: he tries to make sure everyone understands a concept before he moves on to something new. Mr. Smith, however, is always in a determined mood; he feels that he must cover everything. Each teacher has a different voice, tone, pronunciation, expression, and attitude: and as a result, their lectures are quite different

The Topic SentenceYour topic sentence should identify both items (subjects) to be compared or contrasted and tell the reader exactly what you are going to say about these items (attitude). e.g., (poor) Our pup, Tuffy is different from our cat, Hector. (good) The difference in temperament between our pup, Tuffy, and our cat, Hector, is a constant source of amusement.Transitional expressionsused in comparison:

in the same wayand, also, in additionas well asboth, neithereach ofsimilarlyliketoothe same

Transitional expressionsused in contrast:althoughwhereasbuthoweverconverselyon the other handin contrastwhileyetunlike

My Hogs

Although I raised Marcee and Obbie from puppies, they have completely diverse personalities. Obbie is a six year old, male, toy Pomeranian whereas Marcee is a one year old, female, Boston terrier. Obbie is small and soft, unlike Marcee who has bristly hair and is much bigger. Marcee insists on sleeping on the bed, under the covers every night. On the other hand, Obbie will only sleep on the floor, under the bed. Obbie is tremendously loyal and uptight; but Marcee is hyper and friendly to anyone she meets or sees. Around other dogs, Marcee cowers to the larger dog, yet Obbie will always stand his ground, never giving up until he is scolded. Given that they were both treated the same way all their life, it is hard to believe that they are so different in everything they do.

A Question of Craftsmanship Although new and modern houses offer many conveniences, most old houses feature craftsmanship that is not found in the average house built today. Houses constructed sixty years ago or more were built with top quality materials, resulting in very strong and handsome structures. For example, the walls were made at least three times thicker than walls in a new home, and full cut timber beams were used to support the frame, floors, and roof. Also it was common for floors and woodwork to be made of fine wood, usually oak or maple. Average houses of today are erected in a very short time with the use of prefabricated materials which do not produce a very sound structure. In addition to being better built, older houses seem to have much more ornamentation and character in their design, inside and out, than new houses. Many old homes feature large, ornate fireplaces, beautiful wooden stair cases, archways, alcoves, and stained glass windows. This kind of detailed ornamentation is in sharp contrast to the very plain and squared ranch style lay-out of newer homes. Because of all the fine qualities older

houses offer, they would often be worth ten times their value if they were located out of the city. However, home buyers today generally prefer new homes because of their suburban locations. Even so, urban areas are making every attempt to save these excellently crafted old houses and improve their locations.

Tips

A good thing to remember when comparing is that when you make a point, you should include both of your ideas or pieces in the analysis. If one piece includes a certain aspect but the other does not, point this out and explain how this changes the tone or idea of one of the pieces.The idea of a comparison and contrast essay is not to set forth a particular argument, but simply to show the changes. Try to avoid adding in personal opinion or arguments that sway the reader to one side. Be as objective as possible and simply state the differences and how these affect the piece as a whole.

Create a compare/ contrast paragraph on

1. relaxing in the beach and mountains2. book or movie3. weather in America and/ vs the Philippines4. high school and college